What am I going to do with this blog??!!

As I suspected, I have had little time this week to do much with Pedro (The Ape Bomb) blog. Like a shiny new toy, the excitement of having it for the first few days has worn off, now the reality of keeping it up has set in. The main problem that I have is that, to keep my error rate down I have to proof read my notes over and over and over, and even then I seem to miss something. So I keep putting off my next episode of blogging, knowing the amount of time I will have to put into creating just one paragraph. But, I don’t want the cobwebs to take over so I will post, for your delectation, this wonderful filmi poster that I bought a few months back. It is from the Bollywood stunt film PANCH RATAN (5 Jewels), with one of those jewels being the magnificent Randhawa. The movie is, as Memsaab would say, “made of awesome” and the poster is one of the most beautiful in my collection, till date. The size is 30 x 40 and once I am able to locate an affordable frame with those dimensions, up on my living room wall it will go! The movie is a Bollywood sword and sandal, and has lots of action, song, comedy, and beefcake/cheescake…something for everyone!

Please to enjoy:

Younger brother of the equally awesome wrestler/actor Dara Singh, Randhawa seems not to have achieved quite the same amount of fame as his bhai, even though his film work has been almost as prolific. Because Randhawa worked a lot he must have had some amount of popularity during the 60s and I am guessing that, as an actor, he was considered reliable when a lead was required for a budget film, one where retakes needed to be kept to a minimum. He was certainly a handsome guy and a lot of fun to watch on the screen, and it is always a joy when he is paired up in a film with brother Dara. His leading lady in PANCH RATAN is Parveen Choudhary, a favorite of mine who I can find absolutely no information about. She played the lead in many B films, and second leads in several A films. Hopefully she is still out there someplace, and has had a happy life.

One thing that I will be doing with this blog is to celebrate those performers who never really got there due, or who, once popular, have faded into obscurity. Interestingly enough, many performers whose film careers were tainted by making B movies have developed almost a cult following all these many years later, particularly in the US. Bollywood personalities like Randhawa, Malika, Nishi, Homi Wadia, Sheikh Mukhtar, Feerless Nadia, John Cawas, Bela Bose, Azad, and Chitra, American performers such as Allison Hayes, Ken Clark, June Kenney, Barbara Payton, Jeff Richards, Richard Denning and actors from Japan including Akira Takarada, Kumi Mizuno and Hiroshi Koizumi have web blogs written about them and Facebook and web sites dedicated to them and even books and magazine articles written about them and their films…. and just try winning photos of John Saxon or Dara Singh on Ebay! You will most surely be outbid.

To see a film clip from PANCH RATAN, look here:

And to buy the movie on DVD (you know you want to), look no farther then Nehaflix.com where you can pick it up for just $7.00 and postage.

Blogroll

Beth Loves Bollywood
Indeed she does, and she loves Shashi Kapoor, also! And you get plenty more with Beth’s blog as she discusses vintage and new Bollywood. Can you feel the love?!

Die, Danger, Die, Die Kill!
Todd is awesome! He really is. He loves all kinds of crazy world cinema, and he discusses it with great humor while never putting it down. He can’t, he just loves it too much!

Filmi Girl!!
My morning is not complete without reading Filmi Girl’s round-up of the latest Bollywood goss. She also keeps me informed of the latest must see Tollywood, Sandalwood, and other regional DVD releases. I thank you Film Girl, as does Visa and Discover

Go West Man, Dog, and Cat
Writer/film maker Jerry Lee Davis loaded his car with animals and headed to tinsel town. Humorous and touching, this blog will make you feel good! And get Jerry’s book TWIN CITY! It is a fantastic read!

Memsaab Story
If you thought I was addicted to Bollywood films, well, you must check out Greta’s blog. She makes my obsession look like mild curiosity! And she will make you laugh, too!

Music from the Third Floor
A great place to download vintage Bollywood LPs and burn them onto disc…some swell music can be found here!

SIDELONG GLANCES OF A PIGEON KICKER
Brett writes for G-FAN magazine and has the enviable job of interviewing anyone and everyone associated with classic Japanese sci-fi films.

The Good, The Bad, And Godzilla
I first knew of August Ragone in 1977, when the then teenager appeared on The Capt. Cosmic show talking about Japanese sci-f. His blog is awesome, and so is the book he wrote. Buy it!!

The Checkpoint One Foundation
An organization that is very close to my heart. Helping Iraqi and Afghani interpreters find safe haven in the US. This non-profit organization is run by Capt. Jason Faler.

The Real Allison Hayes
Actor and writer Jack Randall Earles is an expert when it comes to B movie actress Allison Hayes and his website will tell you everything that you ever wanted to know about this fascinating performer.

Where I shop

Araby Music
Next to Pakistan, the Arabic countries have the best pop music around.

Induna.com
Looking for obscure Bollywood movies? You’ve come to the right place. Induna has everything, including the best customer service around

Kannada Store
Tired of Bollywood, well try Sandalwood, Kannada cinema. Here you will find great prices, excellent service and a wide variety of Kannada language films.

Kritzerland
If you like rare film soundtracks or cast recordings of vintage Broadway this is the place to find them. And check out the cool line of mystery books available by author Bruce Kimmel.

Kurotokagi Gumi
A fantastic place to buy rare, vintage Japanese samurai and yakuza films on DVD

Randhawa is not as good an actor as his brother (and that’s saying something, lol) but certainly he is as effective in the manbeefcake category! (and I wrote a review of the film on my blog if anyone is interested ;-)

You’re off and running Mike! LOVE the poster. If I had more wall space I would be driving up prices on eBay. Lucky for you, I’m out.

Oh yes Beth, Film posters make such nice home decor…if only I had as many walls as I have posters I would like to display! But I do have plenty of them up and framed and they look fabulous. I am now decorating my office at work with Bollywood posters. Of course my co-workers are in awe…or something.

I suspect you can find many nice Shashi posters on Ebay. Happy shopping!